VMCJ/VMAQ-2 Playboys

Impact Decals, 1/48 scale

Reviewed by Rodger Kelly

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This is the second release from the Camby Indiana based Impact Hobby Decals company.  They are certainly sticking with their strategy of providing decals for aircraft of a particular United States Marine Corps unit with this one too rather than the other way around as the majority of decal manufacturers seem to do.

This sheet, 48-002, provides markings for a selection of the aircraft flown by VMCJ/VMAQ-2 Playboys.  In line with the name, their aircraft wear the Playboy bunny symbol made famous by Hugh Heffner and his Playboy Empire on their rudders. 

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Markings are provided for five machines in all:

• VMCJ-2 RF-4B Phantom II Bureau number 157344 as it appeared at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point circa 1975.   The machine is finished in light gull grey over insignia white with its entire vertical stabiliser, canopy and anti-glare panel in black.

• VMCJ-2 EA-6A Intruder Bureau number 156987 depicted at MCAS Cherry Point in 1975.  Camouflage finish is light gull grey over insignia white with a tan radome and black vertical stabiliser, canopy, and refuelling probe.

• VMAQ-2 EA-6B Prowler Bureau number 159907, MCAS Cherry Point in 1982.  As per the previous option, the camouflage finish is light gull grey over insignia white with a tan radome black vertical stabiliser, canopy, and refuelling probe.

• VMAQ-2 EA-6B Prowler Bureau number 158040, MCAS Cherry Point in 1992.   A change to the camouflage finish for this option as it wears the Tactical Paint Scheme (TPS) of light ghost grey to the undersides and to the upper fuselage with dark ghost grey wings and fuselage sides.  The squadron applied black trim is applied as per the previous option with the exception that the rudder is now painted black as well.

• The final option is another VMAQ-2 EA-6B Prowler, Bureau number 163031 based at MCAS Cherry Point in 1993.  This machine is also finished in TPS but lacks any black paint squadron markings at all.  The unit’s Playboy Bunny symbol has been modified too and now appears as a pair of bunny ears protruding from a top hat.

Complete markings are provided for each option including the national insignia and a selection of the larger items of stencil data applicable to each type (the RF-4 option also gets a set of walkways).  In essence you can build all of the options on the sheet without raiding your decal bank.

The decal sheet and the placement guide are very large at 8 ½" x 11 ¼".  A small gripe here as something this size will cost more to post remembering that there will have to put a piece of stiff cardboard put into the envelope to save the decal sheet from being creased.

As with their first release, there is no indication as to who has printed the decals however; they are silk screen printed, thin, with everything in perfect register.

Support information/placement guide comes via the previously mentioned large sheet that shows full colour left hand side profiles of each option in the centre page, generic upper surface plan views on the back page as well as comprehensive painting instructions that quote the Federal Standard paint colours used on the one to one scale versions being modelled.  A list of references round out the sheet.

The support information/placement guide sheet and the decal sheet come packed in a clear plastic zip-loc bag.

Another nice sheet from Kevin Taylor and Dan Yeiter, the guys who make up Impact Hobby Decals.

Recommended.

Thanks to Impact Hobby Decals for the review sample.

Review Copyright © 2008 by Rodger Kelly
This Page Created on 16 January, 2008
Last updated 16 January, 2008

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